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Don’t worry about getting things exactly right. Just fo- Resting
cus on thinking about what your character would do and
describing what you see in your mind. Heroic though they might be, adventurers can’t spend
every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, social in-
Active Approach to Roleplaying teraction, and combat. They need rest—time to sleep and
If descriptive roleplaying tells your DM and your fellow eat, tend their wounds, refresh their minds and spirits for
players what your character thinks and does, active role- spellcasting, and brace themselves for further adventure.
playing shows them. Adventurers, as well as other creatures, can take short
When you use active roleplaying, you speak with your rests in the midst of a day and a long rest to end it.
character’s voice, like an actor taking on a role. You might Short Rest
even echo your character’s movements and body language.
This approach is more immersive than descriptive role- A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long,
playing, though you still need to describe things that during which a character does nothing more strenuous
can’t be reasonably acted out. than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds.
Going back to the example of Chris roleplaying Tordek A character can spend one or more Hit Dice at the end
above, here’s how the scene might play out if Chris used of a short rest, up to the character’s maximum number of
active roleplaying:
Hit Dice, which is equal to the character’s level. For each
Speaking as Tordek, Chris says in a gruff, deep voice,
Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds
“I was wondering why it suddenly smelled awful in here.
the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character
If I wanted to hear anything out of you, I’d snap your arm
regains hit points equal to the total (minimum of 0). The
and enjoy your screams.” In his normal voice, Chris then
player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after
adds, “I get up, glare at the elf, and head to the bar.”
each roll. A character regains some spent Hit Dice upon
Results of Roleplaying finishing a long rest, as explained below.
The DM uses your character’s actions and attitudes to Long Rest
determine how an NPC reacts. A cowardly NPC buckles
under threats of violence. A stubborn dwarf refuses to let A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8
anyone badger her. A vain dragon laps up flattery. hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least
When interacting with an NPC, pay close attention to 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light ac-
the DM’s portrayal of the NPC’s mood, dialogue, and tivity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch.
personality. You might be able to determine an NPC’s If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activ-
personality traits, ideals, flaws, and bonds, then play on ity—at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or
them to influence the NPC’s attitude. similar adventuring activity—the characters must begin
Interactions in D&D are much like interactions in real the rest again to gain any benefit from it.
life. If you can offer NPCs something they want, threaten At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost
them with something they fear, or play on their sympa- hit points. The character also regains spent Hit Dice, up
thies and goals, you can use words to get almost anything to a number of dice equal to half of the character’s total
you want. On the other hand, if you insult a proud warrior number of them (minimum of one die). For example, if a
or speak ill of a noble’s allies, your efforts to convince or character has eight Hit Dice, he or she can regain four
deceive will fall short. spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest.
A character can’t benefit from more than one long rest
Ability Checks in a 24-hour period, and a character must have at least
1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits.
In addition to roleplaying, ability checks are key in deter-
Between Adventures
mining the outcome of an interaction.
Your roleplaying efforts can alter an NPC’s attitude, but
there might still be an element of chance in the situation. Between trips to dungeons and battles against ancient
For example, your DM can call for a Charisma check at evils, adventurers need time to rest, recuperate, and
any point during an interaction if he or she wants the dice prepare for their next adventure. Many adventurers also
to play a role in determining an NPC’s reactions. Other use this time to perform other tasks, such as crafting
checks might be appropriate in certain situations, at your arms and armor, performing research, or spending
DM’s discretion. their hard-earned gold.
Pay attention to your skill proficiencies when thinking In some cases, the passage of time is something that
of how you want to interact with an NPC, and stack the occurs with little fanfare or description. When starting a
deck in your favor by using an approach that relies on new adventure, the DM might simply declare that a cer-
your best bonuses and skills. If the group needs to trick a tain amount of time has passed and allow you to describe
guard into letting them into a castle, the rogue who is pro- in general terms what your character has
ficient in Deception is the best bet to lead the discussion. been doing. At other times, the DM might want to keep
When negotiating for a hostage’s release, the cleric with track of just how much time is passing as events beyond
Persuasion should do most of the talking. your perception stay in motion.

Chapter 8: Adventuring
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D&D Basic Rules (Version 1.0). Not for resale. Permission granted to print and photocopy this document for personal use only.